December is a very special month for our family. Sure we love holidays, presents, and sweets...but even more dear, is our family. December 12th, is our youngest daughter's Adoption Day anniversary, followed closely by our oldest daughters birthday. We have so many wonderful reasons to be merry! Top it off with Susanna Hill's Holiday writing contest, and the season can't be beat! Wishing you all an amazing holiday full of love and joy.

Xoxo, Kari

Here is my contest entry below, I hope you enjoy the read:

X Marks the SpotBy Kari Ann Gonzalez

“Nick?” Cole whispers.“Here we go again…” Nick yawns from the top bunk.“What if Santa loses his GPS? How will he find us in California?”“Rudolph always brings a backup map.” Nick says rolling over. “Besides, I thought of that. I strung Christmas lights between our palm trees that read, ‘Santa, Cole and Nick live here. We’ve been mostly nice, stop here please!’”“Well, what if Santa stops but he has a tummy ache from too many sweets? What if he’s allergic to dairy?” Cole asks.“Hmmm. Let’s give Santa spice to forget about the sweets. We’ll leave California sushi rolls with lots of wasabi, and almond milk to drink!"“Okay Nick, but what if Santa gets too hot in our California heat? What if he can’t get in, because we don’t have a chimney?”“What if we leave Santa a red bathing suit, and your surf board to cool off in the sea? We’ll open a window to lure Santa in with the smell of wasabi wafting on the breeze.”“But Nick, what if Santa runs into ninja-bread pirates pillaging Christmas trees?”“What do you think we should do?” Nick yawns again.“Let’s treat them to cocoa, and ask them to behave nicely. We’ll melt their hearts reading Christmas cards, until they return the gifts to the tree. Then, we’ll sing pirate carols until Christmas morning!” Cole said“Argh, matey! But Santa won’t come until we go to sleep…Cole?”“Zzzzzz.”

What is that you say? I misspelled the word Halloween in my first blog post? No spell check needed here, it’s time again for Susanna Hill’s Halloweensie Contest! The rules are: 100 words or less incorporating a variant of the words: howl, shiver, and cauldron. My contest submission is posted below. Wishing you all a very happy Halloween!

Boogie Monster Finds His GrooveBy Kari Ann Gonzalez

The Halloween Ball is hopping.So is Boogie Monster.Darn broken leg!Vampire’s moves are silky smooth.And Werewolf? He can really cut a rug.“Boogie, why in the cauldron aren’t you dancing?” Witch asks.“I can’t move like I used to.”“Give it a try!”Clunk. Boogie’s cast echoes on the floor.Boogie shakes off a shiver.“Join us Boogie!” Vampire entices.Kerplunk! Boogie’s Tango ends in a tangle.“See, you can still get down!” Werewolf howls.Putting his best foot forward, Boogie finds the beat.His hands begin to dance and move.Then Boogie finds his Halloween groove!